How Employees' Wellness And Wellbeing Helps In Increasing Productivity

The wellness of an employee increases productivity

Wellness and well-being are related but with a difference. They are linked to health and happiness. Wellness focuses on the physical, but when there is emotional and mental wellness also then we reach the state of wellbeing. Holistic wellness is therefore called wellbeing

The wellness of people in an organization is a practice that leads to mental, emotional, and physical health and takes them towards wellbeing.

Wellness is the first step. If you can achieve it, then it will lead to well-being. It is action-oriented by maintaining healthy lifestyle habits.

The practice of mindfulness, regular physical activity, or yearly preventive health screenings is some aspects of wellness that lead to well-being in life.

The wellness of the employees is a subject of great interest for entrepreneurs today. They have lost a lot of time during covid days in production as well as in sales. The one thing that they really want today is that productivity should be more than ever before in order to cover their losses during the two-year period that the world has fought the deadly disease.

Entrepreneurs do most of the work themselves when they begin their units but as work begins to flourish they need human resources to help them. If these employees work with full efficiency they are sure to reap the benefits.

After the Covid-19 the employers and employees have both realized the importance of wellness.

To take care of it most offices have discussed the future of work practices in their organizations and have found that wellness is on top of the charts because it has been researched that it definitely has a positive effect on productivity.

Five simple ways to promote the wellness of employees?

The first important thing to do is to create a safe environment in the office that will promote the wellness of people. Basic sanitation and cleanliness is important as maintaining covid protocols as well as a pleasing atmosphere at the workplace.

Many entrepreneurs stinge and do not give importance to it. However, a pleasing place is a treat for people to work in and care must be taken about it. Some of the things that must be considered to take care of the wellness of employees are the following:

#1. The environment: The environment that people work in should always be pleasant It covers the effect of physical movement in the organization, the lights, and properly designed furniture. This ensures a healthy and happy place to work which makes the body and mind rest and work peacefully.

#2. Employee engagement: One of the things that entrepreneurs forget is to keep the flow of work in a manner that is interesting and continuous so that when the employees come to work in the morning the day passes by so quickly that they do not feel tired and are invigorated even at the end of the day.

I was lucky that my organization kept me busy throughout the day and I really enjoyed my work there. I wish all entrepreneurs keep their employees busy with work that brings them happiness.

What I did not like about the organization was that at the end of the day when employees were ready to go home, a meeting would be held. Employees are tired and wish to go home by the scheduled time but when it is extended and quite often so they do not feel well. I noticed very often people told lies because they did not want to stay back after their working hours.

#4. Taking Care of employees' coping strategy: Many entrepreneurs neither relax nor allow their employees to relax during the day. This is harmful to work practices.

I remember that I worked in an organization where there were multiple things given to the employees and then asked why it was not completed.

It is important to look at the time framework that is involved in completing a job. If you stress the employee with different jobs each involving a reasonable length of time and you do not give them the time to do their work, it will not only lead to fatigue but also anger and disruption of work.

Ample rest between each job should be given to the employee and not too high a degree of multi tasking which cannot be coped with.

#4 Initiating wellness programs: A lot of entrepreneurs are seeking help to initiate wellness programs at the workplace. Some suggestions are that there should be monthly workshops on meditation, stress management, and providing awareness to employees on their health.

Certain entrepreneurs provide a yearly health check-ups for their employees. They give them a day off to have their health checks done. This is very important.

I advised a friend to install some gym items if there was space in the office or give the benefit of membership in a gym to her employees. The employees could instead opt for yoga or other exercise classes and it would be paid for by her.

She was a little angry with my suggestion thinking about the expense and new budget that she would have to make. She ultimately did allow the employees with this benefit and she told me that it worked wonders for her work as they were fitter, less tired, and more cheerful at work.

#5. Keeping employees connected: To keep people connected at work the entrepreneurs must have certain strategies like having a small prayer or 15 minutes greetings with each other. From experience, I can say that it helps a lot.

I had a small boutique in which I had designers, tailors, embroidery workers, button and repair workers, block printers working for me. As soon as they came to work I had an installed water cooler to give them cold water to drink and I gave them a free hand to make tea or coffee and some biscuits. During those 15 minutes, they spoke to each other and connected with each other. We used to joke and find out about their families and then we began working. It not only kept them cheerful but connected as well.

What are the takeaways?

• Promote wellness by having a pleasing environment in the office space.
• Have a proper workflow in the office where each one knows their work with clear proper directions.
• Never keep the employees after their work hours. Sometimes it is fine but when you make it a habit they are not comfortable. It is a stress in their minds.
• To connect employees with each other organize get-togethers like picnics or overnight trips where they can bond with each other.
• Promote wellness through physical activity and have workshops on meditation and health awareness.

To conclude

A happy employee is one who is physically fit and mentally stress-free. When the environment is pleasant with space and people, the employees have mental relaxation. Vacations and family time are extremely important and everyone should be encouraged to have some fun time together.

Wellness leads to the well-being of people. When work is properly organized and communication lines are clear people will be motivated to work and the morale will be high.

Physical activities like exercises, yoga, or dancing are excellent to be stress-free and keep the body feeling good. In addition, people meeting outside the offices in pleasant conditions keep them connected and their minds relaxed.

People with a healthy body and mind are an asset to an organization and have a great effect on increasing productivity in the future.

I will end with a quote “Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” — B.K.S. Iyengar

©Dr. Preeti Singh, 2022.